Preparation

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sherry (or vinegar), scraping up any brown bits; bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until almost evaporated, 10 seconds (if using vinegar) or about 1 minute (if using sherry).

Whisk milk and flour in a bowl; add to the skillet with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in Asiago until melted. Add the sauce to the pasta; gently toss. Serve with more cheese, if desired.

Tips & Notes

Ingredient Note: We prefer dry sherry, sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store, instead of higher-sodium “cooking” sherry.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

It simply wouldn't be Christmas without these melt-in-your-mouth cookies on my platter! They have a lovely eggnog flavor and look great with their crunchy tops. The aroma while they bake is as delectable as their taste.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

It's Hanukkah and in our home, that means latkes, date cookies and man and lady cookies (the man and lady cookies are gingerbread and make enough to feed an army!). We make the latkes together, my husband makes the date cookies and we have fun making the man and lady cookies. It's our special time together as we enjoy each other's religious customs.

Here's the recipe we use for the latkes:

Latkes

Yield: 12 servings

4 large russet (baking) potatoes

1 medium onion

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus extra for seasoning

Vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Sour cream or applesauce

Garnish: fresh chives

Peel and grate potatoes and onion. Transfer to a sieve or kitchen towel and squeeze out excess water. In a large bowl, combine grated mixture, egg, baking powder, flour, and salt. Warm a thin layer of oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Drop batter into skillet one heaping spoonful at a time (but don't crowd the pan). Flatten gently; don't push potatoes too hard into oil. (Each latke should be about 2 inches wide.) Fry in batches, turning once, 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. Add a dollop of sour cream or applesauce, garnish with fresh chives, and serve immediately.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

My grandmother used to make this every year at Christmas time; she glazed it with powder sugar frosting and would make a sprig of holly with candied fruits on the top of it. I miss making the cake with her but keep the tradition. Her cooking really made the holidays.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add poppy filling. Add eggs yoks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla and sour cream. Sift together flour, soda and salt, add gradually to poppy mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in stiffly bean egg whites. Pour into greased 9 or 10" tube pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

I will be attempting a "clean" version of this cake this year so here are the changes I will make. Thanks to Lisa at Gluten Free Goodies http://www.glutenfreefoodies.blogspot.com/ for the following suggestions:

This sounds wonderful. I think you might need all of the eggs for this. I understand why you want to cut the yolks out. You could always use a Gluten Free egg replacer (I will be using this now that grocery store has stocked it) or flaxseed and water.

Ingredients

Directions

Grind the poppy seeds in a mill or coffee grinder.

Combine the milk, margarine, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Gradually pour about half of the hot milk into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Return the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan.

Continue to cook and stir until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a metal spoon. (Run your finger down the coated spoon: it should draw a clear line.) Add the poppy seeds and spices, stir well to blend.

Remove from heat; cool before using. Store unused filling in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Footnotes

A half pound of poppy seeds equals a little more than 1 1/2 cups. Cream or evaporated milk may be substituted for the milk in this recipe.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

This is an old time pantry recipe that harkebs back to the days when people had ice boxes; and most of their stored food did not require refrigeration. I like to collect recipes like this (along with the provisions) as storm provisions; actually in Los Angeles it called earthquake provisions. Just to be ready for when the big one hits, it's a good idea to keep canned potatoes and dried onions on hand. Meanwhile, it's a very tasty, quick and easy recipe to make when you're just in a hurry. And good for camping trips. I found this recipe in a facsimile of a 1920's cookbook published by Piggly Wiggley Market, I bought it at Columbia, an historic site in gold rush country in California.